Virginia Baseball Wins Ninth Straight, Tops VMI 5-3
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Feb. 27, 2007
CHARLOTTESVILLE – The Virginia baseball team won its ninth consecutive game Tuesday, topping VMI 5-3 at Davenport Field. The Cavaliers remain unbeaten at home this season (9-0) and improve to 11-1 overall on the year. The Keydets fall to 5-3 on the season.
“We have to be prepared to get everyone’s best effort every game, especially when we are playing in-state teams,” head coach Brian O’Connor said. “VMi is a talented team, which they proved by opening the year by winning a series at Florida. Today we did the little things that you need to do to win in our league. You just can’t go up there and try to hit doubles and home runs, because the pitching is too good. It was good to see how our team responded when they came back to tie the game.”
Andrew Carraway (Marietta, Ga.) got his first win of the season for Virginia, pitching three innings of shutout relief. He allowed just one hit, while striking out seven. Michael Schwimer (Alexandria, Va.) pitched two innings of shutout relief, allowing one hit, before Casey Lambert (Harrisonburg, Va.) pitched a perfect ninth for his second save of the year.
Virginia was led offensively by Sean Doolittle (Tabernacle, N.J.), who went 2-for-3 with three runs and an RBI, while hitting his second home run of the season. David Adams (Margate, Fla.) also went 2-for-3, while Greg Miclat (Concord, N.C.) and Brandon Guyer (Herndon, Va.) each went 2-for-4.
The Cavaliers scored a pair of runs in the bottom of the first to take the early lead. Miclat led off with a bunt single and stole second. After a groundout moved him to third, Doolittle walked to put runners on the corners. A wild pitch moved Doolittle into scoring position and he and Miclat scored on Adams’ single to center.
The lead was extended to 3-0 in the bottom of the third. Mike Mitchell (Chesapeake, Va.) led off with a single and stole second. He moved to third on Miclat’s bunt single and scored on an RBI groundout by Brandon Marsh (Alpharetta, Ga.).
The Keydets rallied to tie the game, 3-3, in the top of the fourth. A.J. Yoder and Robert Crumpler opened the inning with a single and double respectively. They both scored on a single by Eddie Van Es. Van Es stole second and later scored on an error.
Virginia retook the lead in the bottom of the fifth. Doolittle hit a two-out double to left-center. After Adams walked, Guyer singled to left to plate Doolittle.
The Cavaliers added an insurance run in the bottom of the seventh on Doolittle’s solo home run.
The Cavaliers will conclude its 12-game homestand with a three-game series this weekend with Delaware at Davenport Field. Game time on Friday is 4 p.m., while Saturday and Sunday’s action will start at 1 p.m.